Home Source: Morgan Treacy/INPHO Roy Keane hits out at Everton: ‘Maybe their players need to toughen up a bit’ James McClean sat out Ireland training with a back issue today Mick Kearney backed Jamie Heaslip for World Rugby Player of the Year SGB featherweight James Gallagher is predicting ‘the best Conor McGregor we’ve ever seen’ at UFC 205 New All-Star Jonny Cooper discussed his victorious 2016 campaign with Dublin A renowned specialist has spoken out about the alarming rate of hip injuries among top GAA players Former All-Ireland winner with Cork Fintan Goold has retired from inter-county football 8 Dundalk players were included in Soccer Republic’s Team of the Year Sean O’Brien reveals he missed…

EXPERIENCED DUO MICHAEL Shields and Ken O’Halloran will return to the Cork football winter training squad as preparations for the 2017 season begin. The42 understands that former captain Shields and goalkeeper O’Halloran will link up again with the Rebels setup, along with attacker Donal Óg Hodnett. Click Here: The three players all departed during the 2016 campaign but their availability now is a boost to Peadar Healy and his management team. Cork, who exited the championship in a Round 4 qualifier against Donegal in July, are officially eligible to return to training for next season on 1 December with players currently in pre-season gym work. The management are yet to…

LIMERICK ARE TO add former senior dual player Brian Begley and Cork All-Ireland winner Paudie Kissane to their backroom team under new manager Billy Lee. The new management team was unveiled last night at a Limerick football committee meeting before going forward for ratification next week at a meeting of the Limerick county board. Lee had been widely tipped for the role recent weeks. He served as a senior selector previously under Liam Kearns, is a former county U21 manager and was involved with Kerry club Austin Stacks this season. Advertisement The Limerick Leader has reported that Begley and Kissane are to be brought on board as a selector and…

Castlebar Mitchels and Corofin will meet again on Sunday. Source: James Crombie/INPHO WE’VE GOT A busy weekend of club action on our hands as the AIB provincial football championship heats up across all four provinces. The game of the weekend is undoubtedly the Connacht semi-final showdown between Castlebar Mitchels and Corofin. Both clubs have been dominant in their respective counties in recent years and between them they’ve won five of the last eight provincial titles. Meanwhile the Connacht’s other force this decade, St Brigid’s, travel to take on Leitrim’s Aughawillan. The Roscommon kingpins did a provincial three-in-a-row from 2010-12. Colm Cooper is back in action for Dr Crokes this weekend. Source:…

ON SUNDAY AT the Gaelic Grounds in Limerick, Kerry club Kilmoyley created a significant piece of hurling history. They’ve been playing in Munster competitions at various grades since the 1960s but had never won a game until scoring an 11-point win over Limerick’s Monaleen in the AIB provincial intermediate semi-final. For Kilmoyley, it was a landmark breakthrough. Having drawn level with rivals Ballyduff at the head of affairs in the Kerry senior hurling roll of honour (both clubs now have 24 titles each), the challenge was to kick on in the province. But now Kilmoyley can achieve something that Ballyduff haven’t managed to do – win the Munster intermediate crown.…

OFFALY AND LAOIS have finally filled their senior hurling management posts, with Kevin Ryan and Eamonn Kelly set to take over the respective roles. Ex-Carlow, Antrim and Tyrone supremo Ryan, a native of Waterford and a former Déise selector, will succeed Kelly as Offaly manager, and is set for ratification next week. And Kelly, who vacated the Faithful County post after one year at the helm, is making the short hop across the border to step into the Laois hot-seat, with the O’Moore county board confirming his appointment tonight. Click Here: Advertisement Kelly stepped down as Offaly manager in the wake of the All-Ireland SHC qualifier defeat to Wexford earlier…

Source: Donall Farmer/INPHO Home Dundalk duo Daryl Horgan and Andy Boyle make the final Ireland squad as Martin O’Neill cuts it down to 28 Jamie Heaslip is on a six-man shortlist to be named World Rugby Player of the Year ACL damage has ruled Jordi Murphy out for up to 9 months as 6 players link up with the Ireland squad Wexford Youths are seeking compensation from Galway United’s over their ‘unprofessional’ pursuit of Shane Keegan Ger Cunningham is placing a heavy emphasis on youth by leaving out some big name Dublin players out of his hurling squad for 2017Cork kingpins Glen Rovers are through to a first AIB Munster senior club hurling…

ROSCOMMON HAVE ANNOUNCED the retirements of the county’s former senior football team captains Geoffrey Claffey and Niall Carty this evening. A statement confirms that the pair have played their last games for the Rossies, as manager Kevin McStay looks ahead to the 2017 campaign. Goalkeeper Claffey has indicated that he is also retiring from club football with Castlerea St Kevin’s but Carty aims to continue playing with Padraig Pearses. Advertisement Source: officialgaa/YouTube Claffey made his championship debut against Galway in 2006 and was captain of the Roscommon senior team in 2012. Carty, meanwhile, made his championship debut against New York in 2011, before captaining the team to Division 3 Allianz League success in…

1. Missed opportunity for Thurles Sarsfields THURLES SARSFIELDS’ PLAYERS likely still woke up this morning wondering how they let it slip…again. Leading Clare’s Ballyea — who won their first county title a week previously — by seven points with 10 minutes to play, it looked almost certain that the Tipp champions would advance to this year’s Munster decider. When you consider their dominance in Tipperary in recent years — winning six of the last eight county titles — the latest slip-up must be hard to stomach. In the grander scheme of things, with the likes of Portumna, Ballyhale Shamrocks and reigning champions Na Piarsaigh already out of the race for…

ST VINCENT’S WALKED off the field at Parnell Park in a familiar position on Saturday night. Champions. They’ve now been crowned top dogs in Dublin 28 times. Nobody else comes close. The Marino club were warm favourites to beat Ballyboden St Enda’s in last year’s decider, but failed to catch fire and lost by four. That defeat, which dashed their three-in-a-row hopes, coupled with watching Ballyboden go on to lift the All-Ireland, spurred St Vincent’s on this year. Diarmuid Connolly reacts to losing the 2015 Dublin SFC final to Ballyboden St Enda’s. Source: Cathal Noonan/INPHO The five-point win over Castleknock provided manager Tommy Conroy with a deep sense of satisfaction. “We…